The girl suddenly let out a violent cough. Her chest trembled, and the water accumulated inside her mouth spilled out. Seeing this, Miao Miao subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
She slowly helped the girl up so that she could sit upright.
A woman standing nearby stared in astonishment and said,
"What kind of treatment is this… breathing into someone's mouth?"
Another person whispered softly, "I've never seen anything like this in my life… doing such a thing in public…"
Miao Miao showed no reaction to their words. She took the dry cloth and covered the girl's wet body so she wouldn't feel cold.
But at that moment, the girl pushed her hand away. In a weak but clear voice, she said, "Why… did you save me? I… wanted to die…"
Several people around were startled upon hearing this.
Miao Miao remained silent for a moment. Then, in a calm and controlled tone, she said, "We can talk about this later."
She then slowly stood up. Her entire body was soaked, water still dripping from her clothes.
The ferry was quite large, with around twenty people present. Some stared in shock, some whispered among themselves, while others were still trying to process what had just happened.
At that moment, Miao Miao's gaze suddenly fixed to the right.
There stood a woman with brown curly hair, slightly sleepy eyes, and a lazy expression. Yet her gaze was unusually focused, as if she were trying to engrave the entire scene into her memory.
Above the woman's head floated a turquoise illusory door. A faint glow flickered around it, and beneath the symbol were clearly written
"Door Pathway"
"Sequence 9 – Apprentice"
Miao Miao's eyes narrowed slightly. She muttered under her breath,"Is that… Fors Wall… Miss Magician?"
The steam ferry slowly docked at one side. Passengers began to move some preparing to disembark, others still whispering about the incident. Miao Miao and the girl got off as well.
Looking at the girl, Miao Miao asked calmly,"Why did you try to kill yourself?"
The girl remained silent for a while. Her gaze dropped downward. Then she said slowly but firmly, "Being sold to others… is worse than dying."
Miao Miao observed her for a few seconds. A faint but clearly fake smile appeared on her lips.She asked again,"May I know your name?"
The girl hesitated slightly before replying,"I… Rosie."
"No surname?" Miao Miao raised an eyebrow slightly. "And where do you live?"
Rosie shook her head."No… I used to live in East Borough. But… I'm homeless now."
"Homeless…" Miao Miao repeated slowly, as if confirming it.
After a pause, she said, "I understand…" Then she looked directly at Rosie and said calmly, "If you want, you can stay with me."
Rosie stared at her in shock, as if she hadn't heard correctly.
Miao Miao continued naturally,"Can you sew? And can you handle household chores well?"
She added lightly,"I need an assistant. Sewing clothes takes a lot of time… it's hard to manage everything alone."
Rosie remained silent for a while.There was clear hesitation in her eyes distrust, exhaustion, and a faint glimmer of hope mixed together.
She asked slowly, "You… don't even know me… yet you want to help me?"
A faint smile appeared on Miao Miao's lips."You don't always need to know someone beforehand," she said calmly. "Sometimes… the situation is enough."
Miao Miao looked deeply into the girl's dark eyes. In the distance, the shadow of the Tusk River slowly faded into the mist. "Alright, it's up to you," she said softly.
The girl fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly."I… agree," she said in a low, trembling voice."I have nowhere else to go…"
Miao Miao smiled faintly again."Good," she said calmly. "Let's go."
Then she asked,"How old are you?"
"Seventeen," the girl replied.
Seeing their soaked appearance, many people were staring at them. The situation was quite awkward. Miao Miao quickly hired a carriage and took the girl home.
After arriving, Miao Miao gave her dry clothes. She wore a white long dress. Then Miao Miao slowly showed her the house where things were, the furniture, and how to handle different chores.
After finishing, Miao Miao looked at her and said,
"I'm a fashion designer. Do you want to be my assistant ?"
The girl paused for a moment, then nodded with a mix of fear and excitement. "Yes… I want to,"
Miao Miao smiled lightly again."Good. Then we'll start working together. Don't worry, you'll be safe here for now."
Later in the afternoon, while working, Miao Miao asked,
"Being sold… does that mean someone wanted to buy you… for bad purposes?"
"Could this be related to Capim?" she thought inwardly.
Rosie spoke, "When I lived in East Borough, my family died from illness. I survived by chance. But a few days later, a gang called Baron Wolf came and forced a debt on me. I had nothing… and they made me a terrible offer. I refused. This morning, they captured me and locked me up… I managed to escape somehow. But I knew they would never let me live in peace… so I decided to end my life."
"Oh… I understand," Miao Miao said, touching her face thoughtfully."That means you're still not safe. They'll come looking for you again."
"Ah, what I suspected. So.." she murmured inwardly.
She thought for a moment and said,"To be honest, you need to hide from them. Maybe something like… you could walk right past them, but they wouldn't recognize you."
Rosie asked helplessly,"But how?"
Miao Miao placed a hand on her hair. "Your hair is long and brown… what if I turn it black and curly?"
Rosie asked in surprise,"Is that even possible?"
Miao Miao joked,"Probably not."
She thought for a moment."Curling hair with metal rods is possible… but changing the color isn't easy. It requires chemicals, and those aren't easy to get in this era."
She sighed in slight frustration."If only the system had an online shop like the Beyonder store…"
"She's in Cherwood Borough now… so she's relatively safe. As long as she doesn't leave, I can ensure her safety."
"I wonder what Klein is doing now… should I tell him about Capim? No… he'll deal with it eventually. I shouldn't get involved. I should just complete my missions and return home."
Miao Miao entered her room and recalled what happened earlier she had been breathing underwater.
"Was this body once some kind of aquatic creature? Like how in the Prisoner pathway Sequence 7 someone becomes a werewolf… is it something like that?"
Miss Assistant suddenly spoke from the side,"Hah, what are you thinking about?"
Miao Miao stopped her thoughts and replied,"Nothing much."
"Have you thought about joining the Tarot Club?"
"To join, I'd need to pray to Klein in Hermes… and I don't know the language. Learning it could take days or months. Forget it."
"I can let you enter through the red star. Klein already knows you're a transmigrator… so you'll have to hide yourself from him inside the Tarot Club."
"I see… so I'll have to play hide-and-seek with Klein," Miao Miao said while biting into an apple."Then tell me, what reward do I get?"
"Anything except returning to the real world." Miss Assistant smiled playfully.
"I never thought a system could joke with humans," Miao Miao said calmly.
"This system… helps me, but at the same time, it's also pushing me toward danger," she thought silently.
Before sunset, Klein returned to 15 Minsk Street.
Lost in thought, he wasn't in a hurry to prepare dinner. Instead, he went back to his bedroom, drew the curtains, and ascended above the gray fog.
He had an idea that he needed to verify.
Seated in the Fool's chair, he reached out and picked up the unadorned brass Master Key.
After reading a notebook written by a descendant of the Abraham family last night, he had guessed that the man lost control on the spot because he chose to advance on the night of a full moon.
Therefore, the curse-like ability of the Master Key its tendency to make people lose their way and fall into dangerous situations was likely not only due to the resentment and malice within its Beyonder characteristic, but also heavily contaminated by the delirious ravings of Mr. Door.
...
"You need to break this transparent sphere to ascend above the gray fog," Miss Assistant said, holding a clear, pure sphere in her hand.
Miao Miao took the sphere and threw it to the ground. A crimson glow burst out from it.
...
At that moment, Klein, who was seated above the gray fog, noticed a crimson star shining unusually brightly before him. He reached out and touched it.
...
The glow surged like ocean currents, swallowing Miao Miao whole.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself standing within a magnificent palace supported by massive stone pillars. Before her was a long ancient table, and at the opposite end sat a human figure shrouded in dense gray fog.
There was nothing else around her. Everything was empty and surreal. Beneath her lay an endless sea of fog, dotted with faint crimson light particles.
"So… this is what it feels like to ascend above the gray fog…"
"What should I ask first…"
"Are you… are you a god?" Miao Miao asked, deliberately hardening her voice so Klein wouldn't recognize it. "Thanks… my first transmigration."
"I am not a god. I am merely a fool who is interested in the long history of this world," the voice came from the shadowy figure.
Heh, I expected that answer.
Klein had no particular concern. He looked at the woman's projection her figure was covered in a pale yellow light, yet it seemed as though the gray fog was retreating from her.
A high-backed chair appeared diagonally opposite Klein's seat, positioned beside the "World" seat. Klein noticed the chair behind the woman.
The lines formed a circular symbol, with small circles connected by thin lines along the outer edge. These were linked by what resembled the "hands of time," forming four connected circles. At the center of the entire ring was a curled, spiral-like tentacle.
"Your Excellency, how should I address you?" Miao Miao asked respectfully without lifting her head.
"I hope Klein doesn't recognize me… this system…" She cut off her thoughts midway.
"You may call me 'The Fool.'"
"Mr. Fool, to be honest, ever since I consumed Sequence - 9 potion, I've had a strange feeling… as if something is chasing me."
"This strange presence claims to be a member of the Amon family. I've already seen one of them… wearing a monocle over his right eye. I was terrified. To save myself, I desperately prayed in front of a crystal, and then…" Miao Miao pretended to speak in a discouraged tone.
"I've already encountered a member of the Amon family… though my excuse is only half true," she thought. "Klein will probably learn about Amon in the coming weeks anyway."
"Your potion is related to the Amon family," Klein said slowly.
Then he added,"Aren't you afraid that I might be some evil god?"
"Mr. Fool, are there usually others present here?" Miao Miao interrupted, pretending to look around.
I have no answer to that question. What should I say… I know your history quite well.
"Yes, there is a gathering here with several members," Klein replied with a faint smile.
"Mr. Fool, may I join this gathering?" Miao Miao asked, feigning a bit of courage with pretending.
Klein sighed inwardly. At that moment, the authoritative voice of The Fool echoed across the long table and reached Miao Miao's ears:
"Yes."
Miao Miao pretended to be delighted. She respectfully bowed to "The Fool" and said,"Thanks for your kindness!"
Every Monday at 3 PM Backland time, a gathering is held here. During this assembly, any materials, recipes, or knowledge can be exchanged, and members communicate freely among themselves. I have already removed all the codenames that had been in use.
Miao Miao listened to Klein and then glanced at the tarot cards laid out before her. Following a whim of chance, she selected one. It was a reversed card.
From the far end of the grand hall, the voice of The Fool echoed:"Welcome to the Tarot Club, Miss 'The Lover.'"
★★★Real life: A professional assassin for 25 years. But after an accident, she was in a coma for three months, then she quit her job as a professional assassin. Now she works under a company.
1st transmigration : During the 3 months in a coma, she discovers herself as a spy in a Wuxia novel. Skills: Can walk through walls without any help, change his voice, is an expert in martial arts, blocks someone's speech or movement, etc.
2nd transmigration: After waking up from a coma, in the world of a historical novel, she is a doctor and a apothecary . Even though she is a girl, she introduces herself to everyone as a boy.
3rd transmigration: A medical student in a modern novel.
4th transmigration: Studied astronomy in a modern novel.
5th transmigration: One of the best painters at a university in the early 19th century.
6th transmigration: Studied chemistry.★★★
("I'm curious,did you enjoy the chapter?Let me know your opinion.")